A former Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, is dead.
He died in the early hours of Sunday in the United Kingdom at the age of 77.
The media aide to the late former governor, Abubakar Yusuf, confirmed his passing. The remains of the former governor will be interred in his hometown of Icheke in Omala Local Government Area of the state.
Idris, fondly referred to as Ibro, was until his death the leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kogi State.
Born in 1949 in Idah, present-day Kogi State, Idris began his primary education in Onitsha, Anambra State, before completing it in Kano in 1963. He later attended King’s Commercial College in Buguma, Rivers State, and obtained a bachelor’s degree from the University of Abuja. f6f0
Before venturing into politics, he was a prominent businessman. He founded Ibro Trading Company, with interests in construction, furniture manufacturing and hospitality, and established the Ibrahim Furniture Factory in Sokoto and the Ibro Hotel, described as the first 3-star hotel in the old Sokoto State. f6f0369c
Idris emerged as the PDP candidate and was elected Governor of Kogi State in April 2003, defeating the incumbent, Prince Abubakar Audu. He was sworn in on May 29, 2003. 369c
He was re-elected in 2007, but the election was nullified following a legal challenge over the exclusion of Audu from the poll. The Court of Appeal upheld the nullification in February 2008 and ordered a fresh election. Idris won the re-run held on March 29, 2008, and remained in office until January 2012. 369c
He was succeeded by his brother-in-law, Captain Idris Wada, who won the December 2011 election. With nearly nine years in office, Idris remains one of the longest-serving governors in the state’s history. f6f0
He gained national attention in 2006 when three of his daughters survived the ADC Airlines Flight 53 crash. In April 2024, he lost his son, Mohammed Ibrahim Idris, a former member of the House of Representatives representing Ankpa/Olamaboro/Omala Federal Constituency, who died in Abuja shortly after Eid-el-Fitr prayers. 369c
